According to Osho, a monastery embodies the Western path of will: strenuous, ascetic, serious and solitary—people 'together yet lonely,' striving to attain God through effort and renunciation. An ashram embodies the Eastern spirit of surrender: rest, relaxation, playfulness and community (gurukul)—a family living naturally with the Master, celebrating life, waiting rather than seeking, discovering the divine within the world rather than opposing it.
Monasteries are about trying hard alone; ashrams are about relaxing together like a family and enjoying life to meet the divine.